Bangladesh is experiencing renewed violence as members of a student protest movement, which led to the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August, clash with her supporters. This unrest underscores the precarious situation in a nation striving to rebuild.
The unrest began on Wednesday when the Awami League, the political party of Hasina, announced that she would address students and citizens via audio from India, where she has been since her ouster. Student protesters expressed that the virtual address would provoke violence. In response, thousands of students vandalized and set fire to a museum that was once the residence of Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a key figure in Bangladesh's history.
Clashes between the student protesters and Awami League supporters continued for three days until the interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, launched “Operation Devil Hunt.” This operation, initiated on Saturday, involved deploying police and paramilitary forces to suppress sympathizers of the student movement. The Awami League has retaliated by threatening protests against the students’ actions.
Following Hasina's live audio address, in which she highlighted her father's sacrifices and the development of the country during her leadership, violence erupted between her supporters and protesters in the Dhaka area. Yunus commenced the police operation on February 8 amid rising violence and injuries.
In a statement, Yunus urged citizens to adhere to the law, emphasizing the government’s commitment to establish a new Bangladesh, distinct from the previous regime characterized by authoritarianism. Officials have reported over 1,300 arrests since the violence escalated, primarily targeting Awami League members, though calm has returned for the moment.
Despite attempts by the interim government to ban Hasina’s party, the Awami League is working to regain influence, with members calling for protests and strikes. They have also accused student groups of being Islamist militants, drawing parallels to supporters of Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
The recent violence poses a threat to the efforts by university students advocating for a new democracy based on free and fair elections, a constitution resistant to manipulation, and governance devoid of corruption. This conflict originated in July, sparked by a protest against job reservations for descendants of freedom fighters, escalating into widespread discontent with Hasina's increasingly authoritarian rule over the past 15 years.
According to officials, over 800 people lost their lives during the student-led revolution last summer. In response, the Yunus government has sought Hasina's extradition from India to face charges of crimes against humanity, although India has yet to respond.
Hasina has participated in Awami League meetings virtually, with videos of her speeches circulating on social media, but her first public address occurred on February 5.
In the aftermath of her audio broadcast, the Yunus government accused Hasina of "insulting and disrespecting" those who died in last summer’s uprising, asserting that she continues to employ threatening rhetoric despite her absence from the country.